The One And Only Billionaire Chef: Alan Wong

How Alan Wong Became A Billionaire From Cooking Alan Wong is the richest chef in the world. Combine the net worth of numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5 and they still wouldn't get close to him. So, how did a 64-year-old gourmet cooking expert manage to make $1.1 billion from decades of experience in the kitchen? This is the story of the renowned Hawaii regional cuisine master, Alan Wong. Chef Alan Wong and Gourmet Cooking. Today, he is one of the most famous chefs in the world with several high-profile restaurants to his name. But let's take a walk back in time and see how this Japan-born American chef had his journey. Born to a Japanese mother and half-Hawaiian, half-Chinese father in 1957, Alan not only started small but started humbly. He worked in a pineapple plantation for years before attending Kapi'olani Community College culinary art program in Hawaii. Once the flame to explore a culinary art was ignited, he became an apprentice at Green Brie, West Virginia to garner knowledge. He would then work at Lutece for three years, which at the time was one of the best restaurants in New York. If you think it still is, just let me know in the comment section and maybe we'll even do a review on them too. Okay, back to Mr. Alan Wong. He met Chef Andre Sautner during his time in Lutece. Till today, Alan credits Chef Andre for teaching him the craft. The craft, known as gourmet cooking, is much art as it is cooking. From pre-cooking to post-cooking, you'll be left in awe. Trust me on that one, friends. Gourmet cooking is a cooking style that revolves around using only the finest and freshest of ingredients in your kitchen. This doesn't necessarily mean it's mighty exotic or exquisite or the food version of Gucci like many people assume. However, once you dip your feet in gourmet cooking, you're most likely going for a full swim in it because you're bound to like it a lot. It's almost addictive. Maybe this is why Alan has some of the most loyal customers in the world. Alan Wong is one of the 12 co-founders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine along with Sam Choi, Roy Amble, Yamaguchi, Peter Merriman, Bev Ganon, and others, which was put together in 1991 to promote the Hawaiian culinary art and culture, highlighting its locally grown ingredients and diverse ethnic groups. The Hawaii Regional Cuisine amped up the outlook of Hawaii to the general public, making it a destination for not just the perfect holiday but great food. One year later, they compiled a book called The New Cuisine of Hawaii, which was sold for charity. The Billionaire Chef So, how did Chef Alan become a billionaire from cooking? We'll give it up to good old hard work. You see, Chef Alan amassed a fortune of wealth and built an empire by doing something that he didn't invent but reinvented. He brought a level of creative flair to gourmet cooking that just hadn't been tapped into by any chef before him. That single uniqueness has made him the first and only billionaire chef to walk the earth. But to what does he owe his ability to be that unique? Maybe his culinary career journey. Culinary Career Journey In 1972, Chef Alan started working at the restaurant in the Waikiki Beach Combo Hotel as a dishwasher. In addition to that, he would also work as a busboy, cashier, host, front desk clerk, assistant restaurant manager, waiter, and finally, a cook. Now, with these many positions, it was almost impossible to know all about the workings of a hotel. This experience would come in handy when he opened his first restaurant in 1989. But before that, Alan would land more jobs in restaurants which would lead him to be an apprentice in the Green Brier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. Next, Alan would work at Lutece in New York City, where, as stated earlier, he met his mentor, Chef André Sautner, who had a whole catalog of wise words for him. The Canoe House Restaurant was Chef Alan's first restaurant. He opened it in 1989 at the Monolani Bay Hotel and Bungalows. For 12 straight years, the Canoe House participated in the Cuisine of the Sun, which was hosted in Monolani Bay. In 1991, Chef Alan, along with 11 other chefs, created the Hawaii Regional Cuisine, whose aim was to partner with local farmers and make a unique blend of ethnic-inspired cuisines with fresh, local products. This would be one of the earlier initiatives that would skyrocket Chef Alan to the top of the game. The Alan Wong's Restaurant In 1995, on King Street in downtown Honolulu, Alan Wong's Restaurant was born. This restaurant was regarded by many as Chef Alan's flagship restaurant. The restaurant bagged as James Beard Foundation nomination one year after, in 1996, as the nation's best new restaurant. Alan Wong's Restaurant would go on to rank No. 6 in America's Best 50 Restaurants by Gourmet Magazine in 2001. The year 2002 will see the restaurant inducted into Nation's Restaurant News Magazine's Hall of Fame. 2006 came with Food & Wine Magazine listing the restaurant among its The Go List of 376 Hottest Restaurants in the World. In this same year, it would rank No. 8 in America's Best 50 Restaurants by Gourmet Magazine. Yeah, yeah, this is two spots lower than where it ranked in 2001, but then again, the competition must have been far stiffer. That's not all. Alan Wong's Restaurant would begin to go on winning sprees. Ten times the restaurant has won the Hale Ina Award as the state's Restaurant of the Year, which is a mighty prestigious award in the culinary space. Nine times it was voted by the Ilima Awards as Hawaii's Best Restaurant. Going on and on about the feats of this restaurant would take longer than a Netflix series, but take this with you. The Alan Wong's Restaurant still receives the highest ratings in Gault Millau, Zagat, and Wine Spectator. It accounts for the bulk of Chef Alan's wealth and serves as a boost for a second restaurant he opened back in 1999 known as the Pineapple Room. Chef Alan has authored two cookbooks that garnered embrace from culinary experts. Alan Wong's New Wave Luau was published in 1999 and the other, The Blue Tomato, The Inspirations Behind the Cuisine of Alan Wong, was published in 2010. The latter won two notable awards in 2011 and 2012 respectively. In 2013, Chef Alan achieved a feat that no other Hawaiian chef before him had achieved. An induction into the American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame. At this time, you could say Chef Alan was already so established that he could do no wrong. Everything he ventured into grew exponentially. He's cooked for the most notable personalities including former President Barack Obama, who is a big fan of his cooking. Conclusion. Once an employee charged with more roles than any one person could handle, to being the richest chef of all time, the story of Alan Wong will inspire many future generations to come. His story isn't just one of gathering wealth, but also giving back to the community. His philanthropist nature has him named as a distinguished alumnus of both the Kapi'olani Community College in 2001 and the University of Hawaii in 2002 respectively. Chef Alan isn't done with the world just yet, seeing as he opened his relatively new Alan Wong's Shanghai Restaurant in 2015. So, if you want to be kept updated on his activities, subscribe to this channel because new videos are uploaded here ever so frequently. If you learned a thing or two from this video, remember to Hulk smash that like button down below. That would be all for this video. See you in the next. Keep cooking.